Waterproofed building construction



Oct. 1941- A. CHENEY 60,438

WATERPROOFED BUILDING CONSTRUCTI O N Filed Dec. 21, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheetl flllan Cheney) Oct. 28, 1941; A. CHENEY WATERPROOFED BUILDINGCONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m W m.

Patented Oct. 28, 1941 WATERPROOFED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION- Allan Cheney,Cynwyd, Pa.

Application December 21, 1938, Serial No. 247,119

18 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in waterproofed buildingconstructions, particularly to buildings constructed in whole or in partof concrete. More particularly, the invention aims to provide new meansand combinations of means for effectively waterproofing spandrel beamsof such buildings.

The desirability of waterproofing spandrels like parts of concrete orpartly concrete buildings has long been recognized by builders andarchitects. Heretofore, several different waterproofing materials'havebeen proposed for this purpose and then have usually comprised one ormore layers of fabric, felt or paper saturated with a waterproofingcompound, preferably bitumen, the sheet being laid so that it overliesthe top or outer side of the spandrel beam. More recently such materialshave been combined with a very thin layer of electro-deposited copperintended to render the sheeting more waterproof.

The use of such prior membranes with or without an electro-depositedcopper surface has only been partially satisfactory, Failure of suchprior devices has been due to the fact that all of such materialdisintegrates more or less, when imbedded in a masonry joint, to the endthat the waterproofing is not permanent. Furthermore, the application ofsuch membranes is costly in that the plastic cement in which themembranes are laid is applied by the waterproofing contractor with theresult that the waterproof and masonry are often in conflict, oneworkman being delayed by the other. Furthermore, membrane waterproofingis relatively thin, subject to easy puncture and, as it has been laidover the top and side faces of spandrel beams, a considerable amount ofmaterial is required with proportionately relatively high cost. As aresult, many architects are extremely doubtful as to the value of suchwaterproofing as compared to the cost.

Also, where a brick or stone veneer is used, a shelf angle is providedto support the veneer immediately above the door and window openings andthe membrane is usually carried across the top and down the face of thebeam so that no bond is possible between the veneer and the beam, withthe result that the veneer merely rests or floats against the beamwithout any mechanical interlock.

With a view to overcoming the above stated and other objections, myinvention provides a new means and combination of means suitable forwaterproofing buildings and particularly spandrel and like beamscomprising a flashing installation that is permanent, effective, secure,

and one that may be installed at a substantial saving in cost.

v My invention is more fully explained by referring to the accompanyingdrawings which are intended merely as illustrative of the invention.

In, the drawings- Fig, 1 is a detail sectional view illustrating onemanner of usingthe invention in a buliding construction;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the manner of attaching the regletto a form when used with concrete masonry;

Fig. 4 is a detail-view of the cap flashing;

Fig. 5 is a'sectional view illustrating one manner 'of using theinvention in connection with a roof flashing; and

Figs. 6 to 13 illustrate modified forms of reglets according to theinvention.

In the construction of masonry buildings it ,is highly desirable toprovide a waterproof cut-off in the masonry wall, continuously aroundthe entire building, at approximately each floor level and above theceiling level, and also above openings such as door and window openings.In the case of masonry, buildings constructed wholly or in part ofconcrete, the spandrel beam extends from the opening upwardly toapproximately the next floor level and it is desirable to provideagainst the infiltration of moisture downwardly around it. As statedabove, this has heretofore been accomplished by covering the spandrelbeam with a membrane waterproofing applied by a plastic cement, themembrane covering the upper and outer exposed surfaces thereof.

In Fig. 1 there is illustrated such a building construction which maycomprise a spandrel beam ill of concrete, an exterior wall II, thespandrel beam 10 extending from an opening l2 upwardly to the level ofthe sub-floor l3. The finishing floor l4, composed of any suitablematerial is, of course, laid upon the sub-floor. The main portion of theexterior wall ll may be carried by the spandrel beam and a veneering 15of brick or stone may overlie the outer vertical face of the spandrelbeam between the opening I2 and floor line being supported on 'a shelfangle IS.

The spandrel conventional manner by pouring concrete into a wooden formI8 which is removed after the spandrel beam is thoroughly set.

According to my invention, the spandrel beam may be fully and adjustablyprotected from moisture of infiltration by installing a through-wallbeam It] may be formed in any ..vantageously isof the constructions'hownin crating counter-flashing, 'which "counter-flashing are highlysuitable for use as flashing 25 on the upper surface thereof extendingfrom the inside of the wall 26 to the outer edge of the building, thisflashing 25 serving to cut off infiltration through the wall andconsequent damage to the ceiling and upper interior walls below. Thelower part of the spandrel beam may be protected by a counter-flashing21 overlying the shelf angle I and extending upwardly beyond the loweredge ofthe spandrel beam Iii." Preferably the upper edge of the counterflashing 21 is inturned and imbedded into the spandrel beam I 0toprevent the seepage of moisture between the shelf angle and spand relI beam. The flashing adequately prevents; infiltration of moisture pastthe lower edge of the spandrel to the door or window framework in'the'opening 12. V

The flashing is prefera ly laid in mortar on the upper surface of thespandrelbeaml0 eand is formedwithan upturned inner edge to cause theseepage of moisture to drain .tolthe .exteriorof the wall. The flashing25 preferably .isof e;ty'pe generallyknown in the. trade as cally keyedflashing, capable of being bonded t o the mortar against movementlongitudinally, transversely. and vertically, and adm Patents 1,715,000and 1,871,585. 1

-It will, of course, b,e apparent that the counter flashing -27, may beas deep as desired ,so that it may-extendupwardly along the verticalfaces of the beam ID to the, desired height. However, I flndtthat thebest results are secured when ed fi of the spandrel a minimum distanceonly as this adequately Waterproofs the lower part of the spandrel whereseepage is likely', and at the same time leaves the vertical face of thespandrel beam available fora masonry tie for the veneer- ;i.n 1|

, A 'further feature of invention resides in the, provision of animproved reglet and coopreglet 'an'd ,the zlower}spandrel-flashing abovedescribed. .i "-Accordingto this feature, of the invention a sheet-1metal;;reglet, preferably of copper, is formed with a base 30, anupwardly inclined :slottedportion 3| adjacent one end, and "an in-vturned;ancho r and water stop 32 adjacent the :other'end. The slottedportion 3| may be formed of spaced wall-s extending upwardly at an angleof substantially 45 to the base 3, one wall of which is preferablyformed with a series of notches 33 -ada-pted for locking engagement with"acooperatin part of a counter-flashing 21. The ;.counter+flash-ing 21;may advantageously be jfOrmed with a plain face 35, an angularextension .36., adapted to be positioned in the slotted portion :3], anda reversely be'nt hooked .end '3'! adapted for self-locking engagementwith one of the, notches 33. Thus thecounter-flashing may be quickly andreadily installed by locking the endSl; in one of the notches 33insuring'a secureinstallation with the vertical portion 35 the shelfangle to be protected.

the counter gflashing 21 extends above the lower The reglet may readilybe installed in place by flightlynailing it to the inside of one of thetemporary forms prior to the pouring of concrete, as illustrated inFig.3 .v After the concrete part has been;pou red anda has become set, thetem- .porary -f qrm i8 may be removed without displacement ofthe reglet;as both the slottedpofv tion 3| and 32serve as anchors. The protrudingnail ends may then be clipped, leaving an undisturbed reglet slot in'the concrete section.

The improved reglet and. counter-flashing construction above describedis not limited in use to spandrel flashing as illustrated in Figs. 1 and2, but may also be imbedded in a concrete parapet wall 40 (Fig. 5), andall concrete walls rising above roof surfaces requiring acounterflashing ti. Under this system a built-up felt base flashing 42or a copper base flashing can be installed and the counter-flashing 4imay then be locked in the reglet, which, due to its construction, issufficiently flexible as to allow for .necessary settlement orshrink-age of the base flashing and expansion and contraction betweenthe base flashing 42 and the counter-flashing 4|. In the aboverespectsthe improved reglet and counter-flashing construction is of greatadvantage as it permits of ready tightening after the base. vvflashinghas shrunk and settled in place.

In. Figs; 6!,to 13 jI have indicated'by' way of illus'tratior'i,va'riousfmeans for effecting anad- .justable-selflocking action betweenthe tongue end 310i the c'ountenflashing 21, and the slotted reglet. f

Preferably the slotted portion of the reglet is formed with a series ofsaw-tooth or z-notchings 5B and the cooperating tongue, end 31 maybeformed. with ,a simple reverse bend as'shown'in Fig. 6.. TheZ-shapednotch'es 60 may be formed in the upper wall of the slot asshown' in Fig. 6

or in 'thelQWer as'sho wn in Fig.7, and they may extend downwardly fromthe upper wall of the slot as'shown in Fig. 8. Alternately the notches.may be formed as channels 5i, extending upwardly. from the upper wallof the slot as in Fig. 9orl depending therefrom, as in Fig. 10, or

"the notches maybe formed by a seriesqof'points' It' will be clear thatmyv improved reglet and countenflashing may beused generally whereverreglets are, required.

Advantages of the inventionreside in the provisionof a simple permanentand eflicient spandrel' flashing that may readily be installed in thebuilding. by the mason, as. the building is erected, resulting in aconsiderable saving in the cost of providing span'dre'l. waterproofing.The improved reglet is adaptable for securing counter-flashingf'tomolded surfaces and has the important advantage 'that thecounter-flashing may be quickly'locked in desired position merely byforcing the hooked end of the counter flashing into the notched 'slotof, the reglet. 'The parts are therefore self-locking, and may be lockedin one of several adjusted positions.

It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the several featuresof the invention are not restri'cted'to the specific forms shown in thedrawings which are intended merely as illustrations of some manners ofusing the invention;

I claim:

1 TA masonry building comprising a spandrel beam, a wall sectionsupported on said spandrel beam, .a veneer section overlying theVertical face of said span-drel beam, a layer of mortar between'fsaidspandrel beam and said wall and said veneer,

a continuous 's'he'et metal throughw'all flashing of desired width toextend. entirely through said wall embedded inthe layer of mortarbetween said wall and spandrel'beam and mechanically keyed thereto, andserving as a moisture cut-off immediately above said spandrel beam, anda sheet metal cap flashing secured to the lower part of said spandrelbeam and extending downwardly between the spandrel beam and veneer.

2. A masonry building comprising a spandrel beam, a wall sectionsupported on said spandrel beam, a veneer section overlying the verticalface of said spandrel beam, a layer of mortar between said spandrel beamand said wall and said veneer, a continuous sheet metal throughwallflashing of desired width to extend entirely through said wall embeddedin the layer of mortar between said wall and spandrel beam andmechanically keyed thereto, and a sheet metal cap flashing secured tothe lower part of said spandrel beam and extending downwardly betweenthe spandrel and veneer, the veneer being bonded to the spandrel bybrick ties or stone ties.

3. A masonry building comprising a spandrel beam, a wall sectionsupported on said spandrel beam, a veneer section overlying the verticalface of said spandrel beam, a layer of mortar between said spandrel beamand said wall and said veneer, a continuous sheet metal throughwallflashing of desired width to extend entirely through said wall andoutwardly beyond the spandrel beam embedded in the layer of mortarbetween said wall and spandrel beam and mechanically keyed thereto andserving as a moisture cut-off immediately above said spandrel, and asheet metal cap flashing secured to the lower part of said spandrel andextending downwardly between the spandrel and Veneer.

4. A masonry building comprising a spandrel beam, a wall sectionsupported on said spandrel beam, a veneer section overlying the verticalface of said spandrel, a layer of mortar between said spandrel and saidwall and said veneer, a continuous sheet metal throughwall flashing ofdesired width to extend entirely through said wall embedded in the layerof mortar between said wall and spandrel beam and mechanically keyedthereto, and serving as a moisture cut-ofi immediately above saidspandrel beam, and a sheet metal cap flashing secured to the lower partof said spandrel and extending downwardly between the spandrel andveneer, said cap flashing having its upper end inturned and secured insaid spandrel.

5. A masonry building comprising a spandrel beam, a wall sectionsupported on said spandrel beam, a veneer section overlying the verticalface of said spandrel beam, a shell supporting said veneer, a layer ofmortar between said spandrel beam and said wall and said veneer, acontinuous sheet metal throughwall flashing of desired width to extendentirely through said wall embedded in the layer of mortar between saidwall and spandrel beam and mechanically keyed thereto and serving as amoisture cut-off immediately above said spandrel beam, and a sheet metalcap flashing secured to the lower part of said spandrel beam andextending downwardly between the spandrel beam and veneer to said shelf.

6. A masonry building comprising a spandrel beam of molded cementitiousmaterial, a wall section supported on said spandrel beam, a veneersection overlying the vertical face of said spandrel beam, a layer ofmortar between said spandrel beam and wall and said spandrel beam andveneer, a continuous sheet metal flashing embeddedlin the. mort'ar'vlayer and extending to said spandrel beam, said flashing extendingdownwardly between the spandrel beam and veneer to said shelf.

7. A building construction as defined in claim 6 in which a sheet metalreglet is embedded in said spandrel beam and'said cap flashing issecured in said reglet. I

8'. A building construction as defined in claim 6 in which a sheet metalreglet is embedded in said spandrel beam and said cap flashing ismechanically locked in said reglet.

9. In a flashing for buildings, a sheet metal reglet, a flashingcooperating therewith, and. cooperating interlocking means on saidflashing and reglet for mechanically locking said flashing in saidreglet in one of a plurality of adjusted positions without the use ofadditional fastening devices.

10. In a flashing for buildings, a sheet metal reglet comprising a base,an angularly extending hollow extension opening into said base, aflash-- ing cooperating with said reglet and formed with an angularlydisposed portion adapted to enter said extension, a plurality of notchesin said hollow extension, and a locking tongue on the angularly disposedend of said flashing adapted for self-locking engagement selectivelywith one of said notches.

11. In a flashing for buildings, a sheet metal reglet comprising a base,an angularly extending hollow extension opening into said base, aflashing cooperating with said reglet and formed with an angularlydisposed portion adapted to enter said extension, a plurality ofZ-shaped notches in said hollow extension, and a locking tongue on theangularly disposed end of said flashing adapted for self-lockingengagment selectively with one of said notches.

12. In a flashing for biuldings, a sheet metal reglet comprising a base,an angularly extending hollow extension opening into said base, aflashing cooperating with said reglet and formed with an angularlydisposed portion adapted to enter said extension, a plurality ofZ-shaped notches formed in the upper face of said hollow extension, anda locking tongue 0n the angularly disposed end of said flashing adaptedfor self-locking engagement selectively with one of said notches.

13. In a flashing for buildings, a sheet metal reglet comprising a base,an angularly extending hollow extension opening into said base, aflashing cooperating with said reglet and formed with an angularlydisposed portion adapted to enter said extension, a plurality ofZ-shaped notches formed in the lower face of said hollow extension, anda locking tongue on the angularly disposed end of said flashing adaptedfor self-locking engagement selectively with one-of said notches.

14. In a flashing for buildings, a molded supporting body, a sheet metalreglet adapted to be molded into said supporting body, said reglethaving a base adapted to be disposed flush with one face of said body, ahollow extension embedded in said body and disposed angularly withrespect to said base, a cooperating sheet metal flashing having a partadapted to extend into said hollow extension, and cooperatinginterlocking means in said extension and on said flashing :part adaptedfor self-locking engagement upon insertion of said part into saidextension.

' 15'. A flashing for buildings as defined in claim 14 characterized inthat the cooperating interlocking means are formed by one ormore'notches in the extension, and a reversely vbent tongue on theflashing part.

16. A flashing for buildings as defined in claim :14. characterized inthat the cooperating interlocking means are formed by a series ofdependingprojections extending into said hollow extension and areversely bent tongue on said flashing

